Several free Halloween apps could help make trick-or-treating less scary for parents

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- As the kids head out in costumes on a quest to collect all kinds of sugary sweets, several free apps could help make the trick-or-treating tradition a little less scary for parents. Planning your route, snacking smart and tracking your child in real time – there’s an app for all kinds of Halloween fun.

Using the Track-and-Treat app, you can follow your kids in real time. Just use your number or email to create a tracking link between two phones.

As for planning the best route, the social network for neighbors called Nextdoor has a Halloween feature where neighbors can show a candy corn if they're handing out candy.

Speaking of treats, some apps can help you check nutrition information right away. Shopwell lets you use your phone to scan barcodes and pull up all the info, which can help if your child has any food allergies. It can also work for items that don’t have a UPC code.

“You can definitely search for Reese's or Skittles -- we’ll pop up the ingredient list and let you know if it’s safe for your little one to eat or not,” said Lara Felton, digital dietitian and nutritionist for Shopwell.

If you’re tracking sugars or carbs, there’s also Dario. It’s a blood glucose monitoring app, which can be helpful for trick-or-treaters who have diabetes.

“Halloween is a holiday for us, just like it is for everyone else, so this is a tool that parents can go, ‘OK, I know how much insulin you need for that?’ and that is so empowering, not only for the child but also for the family dynamic,” said Scott Scolnick a Dario employee who’s had Type 1 diabetes for 41 years now.